Artificial intelligence isn’t ‘necessary for anything’: Elon Musk

• Elon Musk has hit out at artificial intelligence (AI), saying it is not “necessary for anything we’re doing.” 
• “If you have a genie that can grant you anything, that presents a danger,” according to the billionaire, who said AI could be used to create “drone wars”. 
• Musk was among a number of technology experts who urged scientists to pause developing AI so it does not pose a risk to humanity. 
• The prevalence of AI has increased massively in recent years, with systems such as chatbot ChatGPT quickly becoming part of everyday life. 
• Sceptics have warned AI could be used to spread misinformation and aid criminal activity. 

Elon Musk has hit out at artificial intelligence (AI), saying it is not “necessary for anything we’re doing.” Speaking via video link to a summit in London, Musk said he expects governments around the world to use AI to develop weapons before anything else. The Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX owner claimed super-intelligence was “a double-edged sword”. “If you have a genie that can grant you anything, that presents a danger,” according to the billionaire, who said AI could be used to create “drone wars”.

Speaking via video link to a CEO Council Summit in London, Musk said he expects governments around the world to utilize AI to develop weapons before anything else. When asked if AI advances the end of an empire, he replied: “I think it does. I don’t think AI is necessary for anything that we’re doing.” “There’s a little late-stage empire vibe right now,” he also said.

 In March, Musk was among a number of technology experts who urged scientists to pause developing AI so it does not pose a risk to humanity. More than 1,000 people signed an open letter demanding all labs stop training AI systems for at least six months. They called for a temporary halt to the “dangerous race” to develop systems more powerful than OpenAI’s recently launched GPT-4.

If such a pause cannot be enacted quickly, the letter says governments should step in and institute a moratorium. The prevalence of AI has increased massively in recent years, with systems such as chatbot ChatGPT quickly becoming part of everyday life.

The success of ChatGPT and image generation tools like Mid Journey has supercharged an AI arms race between established tech giants Microsoft and Google, with the former backing OpenAI’s software and its long-time rival developing its own Bard chatbot.

While they have been impressed with their ability to pass exams, write speeches, and solve equations, sceptics have warned they could be used to spread misinformation and aid criminal activity. Musk said: “One of the first places you need to be careful of where AI is used is social media to manipulate public opinion.”

(With inputs from agencies)